The Story

My name is Samantha Hess, and more than a year ago I opened a beautiful retail space for my professional cuddling business, Cuddle Up To Me. In this time, we have grown a lot and been able to help a huge number of people find a safe and comfortable space to feel loved and accepted. As many of your know, I have recently suffered some major wellness challenges, and I was unable to work for almost 3 weeks. I am doing much better, and I am back to work now. My hours are more limited while I fully recover, but I need your help.

Before this incident occurred, we were using the meager resources we had remaining to pay our basic operating expenses, but with my health issues, we lost a lot of the income needed to get us by. We are at a crossroads. Rent is due in 8 days, and we don't even have enough in the bank to pay half. I don't want to lose my dream, and so I am here asking of you to help save it. I can't do this on my own. I have worked tirelessly for the last year, taking no salary for myself and living on credit cards in order to realize my dream. I am at my breaking point though. With this lapse in income while I recover, we need help to keep our lease. This business means the world to me, and if I fail, I feel like I am not just failing myself but all those who we will no longer be able to help.

Here is where we are at: Monthly expenses on average come to $5,310. This includes: rent, utilities, phone, internet, web hosting, online scheduling, employee wages, water service, taxes and insurance. This does not include: my own salary or salaries for our accounting, business management, web development, and publicity. Lucky for me, I have an amazing team of business partners who have all helped get us through by offering to do these things in exchange for equity in my company.

Since January our monthly income has averaged out to almost $3,600. For a new business, we are doing about as well as could be expected, especially considering we haven't had money to put toward advertising.

The nest egg we started with is gone. We spent more than $40,000 out of pocket to get the store going and keep it running over the last year. I am not in this to become rich, obviously. I am here because it's so important to me to give everyone an opportunity to feel the love and respect we all deserve.

Right now we have $749 in the bank. We have $204 in deposits coming, and we have $873 in booked appointments that we should get by the 2nd. This leaves us with a deficit for December bills of $3,484.

Setting up this campaign and asking you lovely people to help me in this moment has me sitting in bed crying my eyes out at the moment. This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It hurts my heart to ask for something when I cannot provide anything in return, but I don't know what else to do. I need help. I don't want all this time and effort I have given to this company to be for nothing. I don't want to give up.

So here I am. Down, but not yet out. Asking for your help. Whatever you can afford, be it $1 or $1,000. Please know that it's for a good cause, and something I wouldn't be asking if I had any other choice. Please, if at all possible, I am asking for your help.

Thank you for your time and any support you have given us thus far and for anything you can do to help keep us going. We are so close to success and with your love, we can and will continue to grow and thrive. I will do everything I can to show this world that love will make a difference; that it's ok to trust and to reach out when we need it because we all struggle. Together, we can be better. Thank you.

With all my love,

Samantha Hessproud owner of Cuddle Up To Me

ps- if you would like to read more about what happened, I have shared the story through a new blog: intentionallysam.tumblr.com. Please feel free to read through or follow me on Facebook for continued updates on how I am: Facebook.com/samanthacuddle